Dehumanization & Its Relationship to Moral Exclusion

One of the most troubling phenomena in social psychology is dehumanization, which carries destructive psychological consequences. It involves perceiving certain individuals as “less than human,” stripping them of their inherent attributes and fundamental rights, and thereby fueling discrimination and mistreatment. Dehumanization is manifested in the tendency of some individuals to deny the humanity of others, often accompanied by prejudice, aggression, or violence. The present study sought to examine dehumanization and moral exclusion, and to explore the relationship between them. The sample consisted of 150 women engaged in street begging in Baghdad, ranging in age from 18 to 65. To achieve the research objectives, a Dehumanization Scale was developed, comprising 14 items reflecting the two dimensions of dehumanization, along with a Moral Exclusion Scale consisting of 16 items. The reliability coefficients (Cronbach’s alpha) were 0.65 for the Dehumanization Scale and 0.61 for the Moral Exclusion Scale. The findings revealed that the participants perceived themselves as being viewed by others as dehumanized, and they also experienced moral exclusion. Moreover, the results indicated statistically significant differences based on marital status (single, married, divorced, widowed). The results also showed that a strong positive correlation was found between the two variables.